Branklyn Garden NTS

14/06/2026

Every week a member of the garden team produces a short hit list of their favourite plants of the week that are looking good. This ends up in the garden shop as a talking point for our visitor welcome team. This weeks picks are by Sarah:
1. Cornus kousa 'Venus' - a stunning dogwood flowering now, it also has great autumn colour.
2. Podophyllum pleianthus - look at the interesting flower structure on that!
3. Meconopsis paniculata - one of the Himalayan poppies that is not blue. This is monocarpic so flowers and then dies - hence the very floriferous nature of it.
4. Lilium martagon - these are just about to come out into flower and can be found throughout the garden.
5. Cardiocrinum giganteum - in flower now this Giant Himalayan Lily can take 5 to 7 years to come into flower (from seed). The flower stems vary, last year they were over 2m, but they are a little smaller this year.

10/06/2026

Join us on Sunday 28 June to learn the art of paper floristry in this hands-on paper flower workshop .

In this workshop, you will learn to craft both a rose and the leaves from Italian crepe paper, guided step by step through the process by Jen from Edinburgh Paper Flowers.

You will leave with a long lasting, beautiful, lifelike bloom.

No experience needed and all materials included.
Refreshments will be served.
Following the workshop, why not have a wander around the garden, enjoy lunch in our tearoom or partake in a spot of retail therapy in our plant & gift shop.

You can book your place at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/branklyn-garden-33776513047

28/05/2026

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are unable to offer our lunch menu today (Thursday 28 May) however, we will still have a wide selection of homemade cakes and bakes available, including our delicious freshly baked fruit and cheese scones 😋.

27/05/2026

The delicate looking bells of Enkianthus campanulatus are absolutely humming with insects. From honey bees and wasps to big bumble bees the word is out and it is actually buzzing under there. You will have to take my word for this, or visit yourself, as it was remarkably difficult to capture all this action on camera!

The garden is open daily from 10am to 4pm. The tearoom is open from 11am to 4pm, serving lunches till 2.30pm. For those travelling by car our car park is on Fairmount Terrace (PH2 7AS) with a 200m walk downhill to the garden gate. There is limited blue badge parking at the gate itself (PH2 7BB). Dogs are welcome on a short lead.

27/05/2026

A wonderful job opportunity available at the stunning The Hermitage and Dunkeld NTS. Closing date Sunday 31 May.

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Weddings & Events team at The Hermitage...

If you have the ability to communicate confidently with a wide range of people, possess excellent organisational, time management and coordination skills and are passionate about ensuring our lovely couples have the most special day at The Hermitage, we would love to hear from you!

Closing date Sunday 31 May 2026.

For more information and to apply 👇
https://www.nts.org.uk/volunteering-jobs/job-search/edinburgh-east

25/05/2026

Loving the zingy colours of the new leaves of the Japanese maple Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' and the flowers (and scent) of Rhododendron luteum.

The garden is open daily from 10am to 4pm. The tearoom is open from 11am to 4pm, serving lunches till 2.30pm. For those travelling by car our car park is on Fairmount Terrace (PH2 7AS) with a 200m walk downhill to the garden gate. There is limited blue badge parking at the gate itself (PH2 7BB). Dogs are welcome on a short lead.

22/05/2026

This very narrow bed near the tearoom has tricky growing conditions, shady and dry from the lovely hornbeam above it and yet in full view of all the visitors enjoying tea on the lawn. Sarah took on the challenge of revamping it last year, first checking what was in there and removing, replanting and updating the records database. Then the brain scratching job of figuring out what to put in there. We planted late autumn and have been enjoying the show of successional bulbs for a good few weeks now. The most striking bulb just now is Fritillaria persica 'Ivory Bells', keep an eye out for what is to follow!

20/05/2026

The striking bracts of the Handkerchief Tree (Davidia involucrata) can be seen near the pond at the moment. This is the cultivar Sonoma, an American bred cultivar that flowers early in it's life cycle, unlike the species which can take decades before putting on a show.

The garden is open daily from 10am to 4pm. The tearoom is open from 11am to 4pm, serving lunches till 2.30pm. For those travelling by car our car park is on Fairmount Terrace (PH2 7AS) with a 200m walk downhill to the garden gate. There is limited blue badge parking at the gate itself (PH2 7BB). Dogs are welcome on a short lead.

19/05/2026

We still have a handful of places available on our next floral art watercolour workshop this Friday 22 May.

Join talented watercolour artist Clare Robinson and be inspired by the stunning seasonal flowers and foliage collected from the garden, capturing their beauty in loose style watercolour.

No experience is necessary as Clare will guide you through the process and plenty of individual tuition is on hand. All materials will be provided and refreshments will be served. Following the workshop, why not have a wander round the garden, enjoy lunch in the tearoom or partake in a spot of retail therapy in our plant and gift shop.

You can book your place at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/branklyn-garden-33776513047

18/05/2026

It is that time of year to catch the relatively fleeting beauty of the Magnolia wilsonii flowers. This tree an original planting by Dorothy and John Renton in 1930, obtained from Euan Cox at Glendoick Estate.

The garden is open daily from 10am to 5pm, the tearoom from 11am to 4pm, serving light lunches and home baking. Please use our car park on Fairmount Terrace PH2 7AS, and take the short 200m walk downhill to the garden gate. There is limited blue badge parking at the gate (PH2 7BB). Dogs are welcome on short leads.